“He is young and recovering from a terrible ordeal.” Koque’s back was so straight that it could have been one of the pillars holding up the ceiling. As we walked past servants, they bowed low. I tried to measure if they bowed lower when I walked with her than when I walked by myself, but we passed them too quickly and I did not quite have the eye for such a minute distinction yet.
“We saw doctors with General Saxu’s men. I am sure that Emperor Tallu would be more than happy to order them to attend on your son.” Keeping pace with her, I noticed when she slowed, almost as though she didn’t want to reach her own quarters.
“The emperor is generous,” Koque said. “I’m sure it’s not necessary.”
The words were almost a challenge: would I insist on it? Would Tallu?
I inhaled, about to ask her why she had no interest in marrying the man she so clearly loved, but we passed another set of servants, and I bit my tongue.
“As one who appreciated my mother’s attention, I admire your devotion to Prince Hallu.” I kept my words low, watching as weslowed even further. She did not want me coming into her quarters, seeing the prince. “With your leave, I would ask for some time tomorrow. Despite all that has happened, I am still new to this position. I favor your advice over any other counselor’s, whose interests might not align with mine or Tallu’s.”
Koque nodded, bowing lower than she had before, more than a sign of respect, a sign of relief that I would not insist on seeing the prince. The doors to her quarters had been closed, a single servant standing in front of them.
I recognized her as the bath maid whose tongue had been removed. When she saw Koque, she bowed low, her fingers forming a triangle. Turning, still bowed, she opened the door just enough for Koque to slip in and then pulled it shut behind her.
Quuri hadn’t said anything, so the servants were circling around Koque, their loyalty to her still clear despite everything.
The servant straightened, her eyes finding me, and I wanted to read something in them, read some hidden message, but I had no idea what she might be trying to tell me. She bowed to me, her fingers forming a triangle, and I nodded, turning away and heading back to Tallu’s quarters.
He was already ensconced in his sitting area, stretched out on one of the couches, nursing a glass of something. Coming close, I plucked it from his fingers and sniffed it.
“Fruit juice?” I asked, handing it back, our hands stroking each other.
Walking to the sideboard, I poured myself my own glass out of the carafe, the bright orange liquid spilling into the cup. I turned and leaned against the sideboard, watching Tallu.
The servants in the room stayed at the periphery of the room, one holding a folded blanket, the other staring off at the wall as though it held the answers he needed. The Kennelmaster and Gotuye were dark ghosts, watching entrances, exits, and servants with equal suspicion.
I let my eyes slide around the room, barely lingering on ouraudience. There was no way we could have a conversation with them present, but I had no power to order the emperor’s servants out of his own rooms.
Tallu’s russet eyes were fixed on me, his mouth pulled in a straight line. “Leave us.”
The servants in his quarters fled quickly, used to our requests for privacy. How different it must have been under Emperor Millu, who demanded their attendance except when he entered the room beneath the palace where he performed his depraved desires on unwilling girls.
“Would you like us to leave, too, Emperor Tallu?” the Kennelmaster asked.
“I require some privacy with my beloved.” Tallu didn’t look away from me.
I glanced at the Kennelmaster, catching his eyes and smirking. “Don’t worry, we’ll call you back before we take our postcoital nap.”
The Kennelmaster and Gotuye bowed without triangling their fingers. Before they left, Gotuye did a sweep of Tallu’s rooms. The Kennelmaster stood by the door, ostensibly guarding it, but I could hear the wheeze as he breathed, the way he held his body still on the left side, as though trying not to further injure himself.
“Are you well, Kennelmaster?” I asked, watching him.
He dipped his head, shadows covering the front of his mask. “We traveled hard for three days.”
“We did,” I agreed. “It would be strange for anyone to be fully recovered, yet I wonder…”
I didn’t finish my thought as Gotuye came back into the sitting room. He nodded. The rooms were clear.
“Well, that’s settled,” the Kennelmaster said. “Be careful not to open the windows. With so many Krustavians in the palace, we must not give them any chance to harm Your Imperial Majesty.”
“We appreciate your care for us,” Tallu said.
The Kennelmaster and Gotuye left silently. I waited until thedoor had been shut for some minutes, finishing my drink and pouring myself another glass while Tallu watched, licking his lips when our eyes met.
“Can they hear us?” I asked.
“The door is thick. The walls stone. I believe as long as we keep ourselves quiet, they can’t.” Tallu’s words were an amused promise, as though he was imagining all the different things we could do that would raise our voices.
